Video Bible Lesson - Our Best Friend Is Jesus by Dr. Charles Stanley

Our Best Friend Is Jesus

by Dr. Charles Stanley

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

12/18/19

#Jesus #Christian #Bible #Salvation #Heaven #God #HolySpirit

Invited to Intimacy

Invited to Intimacy
TRACEY MITCHELL

“He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady.” Psalm 40:2 (NCV)

After a busy and exhausting travel day, I needed rest and wanted space. So, I prayed whoever reserved the seat next to mine would be a no-show.

Then, in walked a young woman wearing ripped jeans and a charcoal gray hoodie.

Down the aisle she came before stopping at my row. “Excuse me. I’m 15A.”

She was tall, thin and looked like a model. Although she tried to get comfortable, her long legs didn’t quite fit into the tiny space between seats. In fact, nothing about her seemed comfortable. Not just the limited room, but how she stared out the window, fingers fidgeting. There was something somber, almost dark, about her countenance.

Halfway into our travels, I noticed tears sliding down her cheeks. I could tell by how she flung them away they weren’t just sad tears, but bitter ones. As hard as I’d prayed for her to be a no-show, I now prayed even harder for God to give me an opportunity to reach her wounded soul.

Her name was Amber. Before long, I knew her story, too. Amber was returning from visiting her father at NJSP. I asked about the acronym, and she spelled it out: New Jersey State Prison. He was an LWOP, she said, which she explained means life without possibility of parole. She told me his crime: murder. In fact, at age 8, Amber watched him murder her mother.

Family tried to convince Amber it was an accident, a drunken fight out of control, but she was still unsure how it all unraveled. What she did know was that after her mother’s brutal death and father’s incarceration, life didn’t get any better. Her uncles sexually abused her for years. As a preteen, she was taken to hotels and sold for sexual favors.

Two hours into her story, Amber gently asked, “Why do I feel these horrible things are my fault? I try to push back the memories, but they keep replaying in my mind.”

As we neared our destination, I began to share how God longed to knit her heart back together. I lovingly shared about a heavenly Father who would never leave, never abandon, never abuse His daughter. She seemed to relax. I could tell the Holy Spirit was setting her free, like a cork released from a bottle.

I shared how God didn’t breathe life into us to let us be swallowed up by its tragedies. No, He gave us life because He loves us and has never stopped thinking about us.

We’re reminded of this truth in today’s key verse: “He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady” (Psalm 40:2).

As I continued sharing, her bitter tears turned into being-made-better tears. The Father was embracing His daughter, and she was responding to His love.

Have you ever felt like falling at Jesus’ feet and blurting out your story? Every time I hear a story like Amber’s, I want to stand up and shout, “I’ve got issues, too!”

In my own prayer times, I’ve blurted out things bothering me, hoping I didn’t make God blush. I’ve asked Him for miracles while crossing my fingers, hoping He wouldn’t bring up my mistakes. I’ve talked about dreams and droned on about my doubts. I’m sure I haven’t been the easiest daughter to deal with, as in some ways we’re all a little challenging.

But here’s the beautiful thing: In all of our time together, I’ve never had my Father get up and walk out of the room. Not once. He stays around until my issues are resolved or until my feelings about them are replaced with His peace. (Philippians 4:7) For that, I’m incredibly grateful!

Heavenly Father, thank You that I’m no longer stuck in the pit of pain and heartache. Today is my day to walk away from grief and defeat — into a place of victory. I believe there are good things in my future. I trust You to replace discouragement with hope and heartache with joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 41:10, “So don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.” (NCV)

Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” (NCV)

Trusting in God's Faithfulness

Trusting in God's Faithfulness

By Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Is there something God has told you to do that seems just too difficult? You can be sure that if He has called you to carry out His will, He’s going to be faithful to accomplish it through His Spirit living and working in you. So if you tell Him, “I can’t do that, Lord—what if I fail?” you’re really saying, “God doesn’t keep His word.” And yet, our total expectation should be in Him—not in our own energy, ability, or experience.

When you doubt God’s trustworthiness, that unbelief becomes a gap in your spiritual armor, and you can be sure that’s exactly where Satan will attack you. You’ll begin to doubt even more about God’s character, such as His goodness—and that distrust will become a heavy load of baggage you’ll needlessly drag through every area of your life.

You might feel that you do not have enough faith to obey, but the Lord isn’t asking you to have faith in favorable circumstances. He’s asking you to trust that He is who He says He is.

Do you believe that God is a liar? It’s really that simple: either He is truthful or He’s not. But if you believe that faithfulness is His character, then you can do anything He requires. You’ll be strengthened by your dependence on Him—whether a deluge or trials or a flood of blessing comes.

It’s actually when life gets rough and rugged that the sweetness of God’s faithfulness makes itself real in your heart. As you walk through those storms in complete reliance on His strength, your trust in His character becomes part of who you are and strengthens from within.

An Eternal Moment

An Eternal Moment
by Katherine Britton

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
John 1:1-2

The very concept of time fascinates me. Add the prospect of eternity, and I get as dizzy as anyone. Still, I can't help contemplating the mysteries of my little life running parallel to a greater human history, running parallel to a universe that doesn't measure time in rotations of the earth but by the speed of light. And then - no longer running parallel to, but encompassing that straight line of history into some greater sphere - comes eternity. Or rather, there is eternity. Or will be. Or… well, you can see why my head starts hurting when I try to visualize this mystery. 

A lot of my fascination with time and eternity centers on the eternal God (Isaiah 26:4) who allowed himself to be constrained by that which he had created - time. The tangled and complex poetry of T. S. Eliot best expresses my fascination with the Incarnation: 

"Then came, at a predetermined moment, a moment in time and of time, 
A moment not out of time, but in time, in what we call history: transecting, bisecting the world of time, a moment in time but not like a moment of time, 
A moment in time but time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." (from "The Rock, VII") 

Consider that last line again: "… time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." The first step of redemption began when the Jesus, who was "with God in the beginning," stepped into time and allowed himself to be bound by it for a time.

I wonder if that act of limiting himself was how he began to enter into our suffering with us. He stepped into a world where the end point is death, and after that - a meaningless eternity away from any outside purpose. It took divine intervention - a breath of eternity - to change that.

As I ponder these high and lofty mysteries that go way beyond my comprehension (Psalms 139:6), it's tempting to let my head run away in the clouds with no practical application. But Ephesians says something very different:

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) 

There is a parallel from eternity to our days. Christ provided time with meaning, and modeled what it means to "redeem time" quite literally. All of the prophets and apostles lived with the light of eternity in their eyes, and that made their days all the more valuable. Instead of dropping off into nothingness away from God, we are galloping toward the moment when time becomes so full of meaning that it bursts into eternity. Let's follow their example, shall we? 

Intersection of Faith & Life: How do you treat your time? Do you use it wisely, deliberately, for a purpose? Or do you still treat it as if it has no value? A former professor once said that leisure time is important because it shows us where our hearts are, and what we value most. What does your leisure time say about you? Make a commitment with me to live deliberately this coming year, in the joy of what Christ has done for all time. 

The Power of Worship

The Power of Worship
By Meg Bucher

“Still, many in the crowd believed in Him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’”  John 7:31 NIV

Standing alongside hundreds of arms raised up and voices tuned to the same praise is a powerful way to experience God’s presence. It moves my faith forward. It’s a contagious crowd. The Voice paraphrase of John 7:31 emphatically states,“In the crowd, there were many in whom faith was taking hold.”  A hope renewed, courage strengthened, and spirit lifted, by “a large number of persons gathered closely together.”

A large number in which He promises to be present when gathered in His Name.

Life sometimes throws the ball up in the air, leaving us to stare at the clouds wondering where it went. Like a helium-filled balloon, it seems to float hopelessly out of sight. Out of our reach. Into the clouds.

There are seasons of life that don’t have solutions. At least, not any easy ones. So we cope, mourn, misunderstand and lift frustrated fists in the air … or pound them against walls.

We all break down.

We can walk toward the echoing sound of our thoughts. Seek out opinions that we want to hear and solutions we feel like pursuing. We can isolate ourselves, and let our thoughts drive us into the blank frozen space of wasted time.

Or, we can walk into a crowd that will steer us into position to catch the ball when it falls back down from the clouds. There is faith in that crowd.  He is there. Faith that can take hold of us, guide us, hug us, love on us, and remind us who threw the ball up in the first place …and who holds the game plan. The good plan …for our lives.

In the space that life often leaves between here and a possible there …grip His hand.

It’s the one with the scar …from the nail that held it to the cross …the hand that sacrificed life for all of ours.

Jesus came to save us from the space that threatens to carry us away.

Father, we praise You for Jesus, and the way He so gracefully guides us back to Your will for our lives time and again. Thank You for His gentle guidance and Your forgiving grace. Forgive us for trying to force the ball down, instead of waiting. We’re bad at being patient, Father. Help us. Send Your Spirit to strengthen that gift.

 In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

A Prayer for Grieving at Christmas

A Prayer for Grieving at ChristmasBy: Dena Johnson

“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." - John 10:10 NASB

I’ve spent the last eight months doing everything I can to keep my faith strong, to trust God. But this week, I am losing the battle. I am collapsing under the weight of this year.

The last few days, I find myself simply falling apart. I can’t hold back the tears another moment. I can’t put a smile on my face and pretend I am doing just fine. I can’t hold in the grief that is filling every inch of my being.

Perhaps you understand. Perhaps you too feel as if this year has been a nightmare, destroying your peace and security. Perhaps you feel as if your very life is crumbling, collapsing. Perhaps you can no longer hold in the tears, no longer pretend everything is just fine.

If you are consumed by grief this Christmas, you are not alone. Can we just take a moment to pray?

Lord Jesus, I am so overwhelmed. My heart is heavy, burdened. The losses this year are crushing me, overcoming my peace and joy. I know you tell us you are close to the brokenhearted, but I don’t feel you. I feel lost, hopeless, abandoned. 

I know this is a season, a season that has a beginning and an end. But right now it feels like it will never end. I need hope, hope to believe you will truly restore me, strengthen me. I need hope to believe you will one day have me put together and on my feet for good. I need a vision of the future you have for me, a future of hope and blessings from you.

It’s so easy to become distracted, to focus on the many losses I have experienced. Forgive me. Help me to put my thoughts, my attention on you. Help me cling to you, to your word, to your promises. Help me be fixed on you because I know it’s the only way to enjoy your perfect peace.

As I walk through this holiday season, give me a fresh glimpse of who You are. Help me remember the suffering You experienced as You watched your Son on the cross, a gift given just for me. Help me remember with joy and wonder the amazing gifts we have simply because you gave, a precious baby born that Christmas morning. Help me focus my heart and mind on Immanuel, God with me.

You are my hope, my only hope, for Christmas and every day on this earth. May I always carry your hope with me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given

This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given
By Rick Warren

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

God knew before you were born that you would be reading this in this moment. He planned to get your attention for just a few seconds so he could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life, and I’ve never stopped loving you. You matter to me. I love you more than you will ever know. I made you to love you, and I’ve been waiting for you to love me back.” 

If you gave me a Christmas gift and I never opened it, you would be disappointed. And it would be a worthless gift, because I don’t receive the benefit of a gift I never opened. 

Jesus Christ is God’s Christmas gift to you. Yet some of us have gone Christmas after Christmas and never opened the best gift of all: God’s gift of salvation. Why even celebrate Christmas if you’re not going to open the biggest gift? It doesn’t make sense to leave unwrapped the gift of your past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven.

God has made a way for you this Christmas to be right with him, and all you have to do is receive his gift of salvation. The Bible says, “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

Below is a prayer I prayed years ago when I stepped across the line and accepted Jesus. It’s a simple prayer. If these words express the desire in your heart, then pray them. 

“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me, that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me. 

“Today I want to receive the Christmas gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. Save me from myself. 

“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. 

“I need peace with you, God, and I need you to put your peace in my heart. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. Help me be a peacemaker and help others find peace with you and each other. In your name I pray. Amen.”